A Family for the Holidays by Sherri Shackelford

about will only draw attention to you. If we walk with conviction, no one will pay us any mind.”
    That took him aback. As he considered her suggestion, a tiny thrill of victory zipped through her.
    â€œYou’re right,” he said. “The only person I need to avoid is Vic, possibly Regina. You three are in the clear. As long as no one sees us together, and no one notices us leaving town, we’re past the worst.”
    â€œI am right.” Her chest swelled. For once she wasn’t foolish, naive Lily. “The children and I packed and hid our belongings at Emil’s barbershop. We’ll collect our bags and meet you at the livery.”
    â€œRemember, if anything goes wrong, you were my hostages. Just stick to that story.”
    â€œI will.”
    She wouldn’t. But he was correct about one thing—this was no time for an argument. “We’ll meet you at the livery in twenty minutes. Don’t forget—walk with conviction.”
    * * *
    Jake waited until they were out of sight and reentered the jail. They were safe for the moment, of that he was certain. Lily had cleverly played along with Vic’s announcement, which meant he was expecting her to leave on the evening stage. Vic was too arrogant to assume anything else.
    Jake shut the door behind him and winced. Sheriff Koepke hollered and banged on the bars with a chair left in the cell. He caught sight of Jake and went still.
    Jake crossed his arms over his chest. “You and I need to talk.”
    â€œAbout what?” The sheriff glanced at him askance. “Where is the girl and them two boys?”
    â€œNot your concern.”
    The sheriff lowered his chair and plopped onto the wooden seat. “What do you want?”
    â€œWhere is Emil? Is he dead?”
    â€œI don’t know. But I don’t think so.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause Vic is real jumpy.”
    â€œThen the rumors are true.” Jake searched his memory for all the crumbs of gossip he’d collected over the past two weeks. “How much did he lose to Emil in the last poker game?”
    â€œThe hotel for certain.”
    Jake blew out a low whistle. “He bet the hotel?”
    â€œYeah. And Regina is hopping mad. He promised her that after they were married, the hotel was hers. She already acts like she owns the place. Did you see what she did in the parlor? I never seen so much fabric. Looks like my grandmother’s sewing room.”
    â€œAnything else?”
    The sheriff removed a slender cigar from his breast pocket along with a box of matches. “Money.”
    â€œHow much?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    Jake leaned against the sheriff’s desk, stretched out his legs, and crossed his ankles. “What about the stolen guns?”
    â€œWhat guns?” The sheriff appeared genuinely surprised. “I don’t know anything about any stolen guns.”
    That was interesting. Apparently the sheriff wasn’t privy to all Vic’s schemes. Keeping the sheriff ignorant of his most nefarious moves was probably a wise move.
    â€œVic isn’t earning all his money at the lumberyard,” Jake said. “Surely you know that.”
    â€œHe does all right.” The sheriff puffed his cigar to life. “He can lose a little money in a poker game now and again. Don’t make him no never mind.”
    The sheriff removed his cigar from his mouth and studied the tip. Jake grimaced.
    Keeping the sheriff in the dark was more than wise—the decision was genius. “There’s no lumber in that yard, or hadn’t you noticed?”
    â€œI guess, now that you mention it.” The sheriff exhaled a billow of smoke. “Business has been slow. Things were a lot better before Steele City got the St. Joseph line. The customers have dried up since then.”
    The railroad depot had been finished for over a year.
    Enough time for Vic to become desperate. “Your boss picked